[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 50 (Thursday, April 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E666-E667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE EVERY STUDENT COUNTS ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 7, 2011

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
``Every Student Counts Act,'' legislation that will prioritize high 
school graduation for all of our nation's students.
  In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) passed with broad 
bipartisan support. The purpose of NCLB was to ensure that every 
student in America would receive a quality education. However, over the 
past ten years, NCLB has not lived up to its promises. Certain aspects 
of the law are difficult to implement and are not bringing about the 
results we thought it would. One of the major shortcomings of NCLB is 
its failure to hold schools accountable for dropouts. Although we 
believed we addressed this issue in the original NCLB legislation, this 
portion of the law has not been implemented as we had hoped. Instead, 
under current law, the only meaningful accountability standard for high 
schools is students' scores on standardized tests, with virtually no 
concern given to how many students graduate or drop out of school. 
Unfortunately, this myopic accountability standard has created an 
incentive for high schools to push out students who are struggling 
academically, so that their test scores are not counted in the 
assessments. Furthermore, the current accountability system also has 
allowed States to report graduation rates inconsistently and in 
misleading ways. Finally, NCLB does not require the disaggregation of 
graduation rates by subgroup, leading to incomplete data on how our 
schools are doing with one subgroup compared to others.
  What is clear is the fact that the current high school accountability 
system is failing both our students and our nation. Each year, 
approximately 1.23 million secondary school students--one-third of all 
secondary school students--fail to graduate with their peers. In 
addition, nearly 2,000 secondary schools--roughly 12 percent of all 
secondary schools in the United States--produce about half of the 
nation's secondary school dropouts. In these schools, the number of 
seniors is routinely 60 percent or less than the number of freshmen 
three years earlier. Moreover, almost half of the nation's African-
American students and nearly 40 percent of Latino students attend these 
so called ``dropout factories,'' while only 11 percent of White 
students do.
  Unfortunately, these dismal numbers are just the beginning of the 
story. Research shows that the difference in lifetime earnings between 
a high school dropout and a high school graduate is about $260,000. A 
dropout's loss in potential earnings can cause serious hardships 
throughout his or her life. For example, statistics show that high 
school dropouts are more likely to be on public assistance programs 
such as welfare than students who complete high school. In addition, 
high school dropouts that do find employment are much more likely to 
work at unskilled jobs that offer little opportunity for upward 
mobility. There is also a strong correlation between high school 
dropouts and juvenile delinquency and teen pregnancy. Therefore, we 
cannot sit back and allow this problem to escalate. We must hold

[[Page E667]]

schools, districts and states accountable for graduation rates and 
dropouts so that all students are graduating with a high school diploma 
and improving their life outcomes.
  By holding schools, districts and states accountable for graduation 
rates and dropouts, we also improve America's position as a leader in 
the global economy. According to the 2008 Department of Labor report 
entitled ``America's Dynamic Workforce,'' by 2016 almost 90 percent of 
the fastest growing and best paying jobs in the United States will 
require at least some postsecondary education. Yet, an estimated 3.5 
million Americans ages 16 to 25 are not enrolled in school and do not 
have a high school diploma. Attaining a high school diploma is a 
student's first step toward becoming an educated member of the American 
workforce. An American workforce that lacks a considerable number of 
high school graduates--and a considerable number of college graduates--
will eventually diminish our nation's global competitiveness. The major 
advantage America has in the global economy is an educated workforce. 
We can't allow--or afford--any of our nation's high students to dropout 
and not reach their full potential.
  Until recently, federal policy did not place enough importance on 
graduating the nation's high school students. In October 2008, the U.S. 
Department of Education released regulations that did much to correct 
the lack of attention to graduation rates in the federal accountability 
system; the regulations require a uniform graduation rate calculation 
and improvement in graduation rates over time. Though these regulations 
are a laudable step in the right direction, they do not go far enough 
in setting consistent, high graduation rate goals and aggressive, 
attainable graduation rate growth targets. Without clear guidance and 
meaningful accountability, most secondary schools can continue to 
achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) by making negligible annual 
improvement in graduation rates and can do so with a consistent, or 
even growing, graduation gap. In fact, under current law even a so 
called ``dropout factory'' can make AYP.
  The Every Student Counts Act will bring meaningful accountability to 
America's high schools by requiring a consistent and accurate 
calculation of graduation rates across all fifty states to ensure 
comparability and transparency. The legislation builds on the National 
Governors Association's Graduation Rate Compact, which was signed by 
all 50 of the nation's governors in 2005. Under the Every Student 
Counts Act, graduation rates become a significant factor in determining 
AYP in addition to test scores. Moreover, the Every Student Counts Act 
would require high schools to have aggressive, attainable and uniform 
annual growth requirements as part of AYP. This will ensure consistent 
increases to graduation rates for all students by meeting annual, 
research-based benchmarks with the long-term goal of reaching a 90 
percent graduation rate. The bill would also require the disaggregation 
of graduation data by subgroup to make certain that schools are held 
accountable for increasing the graduation rate for all of our students 
and require that school improvement activities focus on closing any 
achievement gaps.
  Recognizing that some small numbers of students take longer than four 
years to graduate, the bill will give credit to schools, school 
districts and states for graduating these students while maintaining 
the primacy of graduating the great preponderance of all students in 
four years. The Every Student Counts Act will provide incentives for 
schools, districts and states to create programs to serve students who 
have already dropped out and are over-age or under credited. Some 
credit has to be given to those who get a GED and also those who take 
more than one or two years and maybe even three years longer than 
others to graduate. If no credit is given, the school system has no 
incentive to continue these important programs.
  Some states have already taken the initiative to implement reforms 
similar to those included in the Every Student Counts Act. I am proud 
to say that my home state of Virginia is one of them. For example, 
since 2008 Virginia has been using the ``Virginia On-Time Graduation 
Rate'' calculation, a flexible graduation rate calculation that 
accurately measures the number of students from a freshman class who 
graduate four years later. In addition, Virginia will start using a 
``Graduation and Completion Index'' in addition to standardized test 
scores in order to determine the accreditation ratings of high schools 
in the Commonwealth. High schools must earn a score of 85 on the 
``Graduation and Completion Index'' to receive full accreditation from 
the state. The requirement will go into effect during the 2011-2012 
school year. Reforms like these have had and will have a positive 
impact on Virginia's graduation rate and should be implemented 
nationwide.
  Thus far, 24 national and state organizations support the Every 
Student Counts Act, including the Alliance for Excellent Education, 
America's Promise Alliance, American Association of University Women, 
American School Counselor Association, Bazelon Center for Mental Health 
Law, Council of Administrators of Special Education, First Focus, 
Knowledge Alliance, Learning Disabilities Association of America, 
League of United Latin American Citizens, National Association of 
School Psychologists, National Association of Secondary School 
Principals, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical 
Education Consortium, National Association for the Education of 
Homeless Children and Youth, National Collaboration for Youth, National 
Council of La Raza, National Council for Learning Disabilities, 
National Indian Education Association, National PTA, Project GRAD, 
Public Education Network, School Social Work Association of America, 
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Teachers of English to 
Speakers of Other Languages, United Way Worldwide, and Youth Service 
America. This list is expected to grow.
  In order to truly ensure that all children have access to a quality 
education, it is imperative that we take steps to immediately end 
America's dropout crisis. We must ensure not only that graduation rates 
increase, but that earning a high school diploma is a meaningful 
accomplishment. We must use the indicators of student achievement and 
graduation to know which high schools are doing their job. Those who 
are must be recognized and supported. Those that are not must be 
identified and improvements made.
  I hope that with the Every Student Counts Act we can make greater 
strides nationally toward graduating more of America's students and 
preparing them to succeed in college, the workforce, the military, and 
ultimately in life. I ask my colleagues to join me in passing this bill 
and seeing to it that it is quickly enacted into law to ensure--at a 
minimum--that every child becomes a high school graduate.

                          ____________________